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carnivalcarriondiscarded · 6 months

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I'm piggybacking a bit off of the last ask of asking for writing tips but I have an odd question... Am I the only person that struggles actually PICKING a book? It's the absolute bane of my existence because I feel like I can be so picky... Don't get me wrong, I love being a bookworm, and I'm trying to get back into reading physical books but it's so difficult to find a real taste of what the book is like without being completely spoiled or something... I miss when backs of books had an actual summary and not just NO.1 NEW YORK BESTSELLER!!!! It's so frustrating... I've been trying to get back into it by re-reading fond chapter childhood books read to me (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane & A Wrinkle In Time). But at the same time I'm also trying to get into more "adult" books that isn't... Well, you try googling "adult books" and see how that goes, I didn't think too hard about what a poor decision THAT was. But I'm working up the courage to read Cat's Cradle right now to start with "Classic Authors" I guess!

Anyway I'm rambling here, I guess my question is... How do you pick out the books you read? I don't really have friends that read many books to recommend to me :')

Thank you in advance, Bog! I hope you get a callback from that interview soon!

no ok actually you've mentioned something that's been bothering me for a while - What The Hell Do Y'all Mea, Books Don't Have Summaries Anymore???? i have not once in my life found a book that didn't have a summary. i was in barnes & noble recently and everything i looked at had a summary. i have literally never seen a book without one in my life of reading & looking at new books on a regular basis

softcovers have theirs on the back. hardcovers are on the inside of the sleeve - lift the cover and it should be printed right there on the inside flap! summaries aren't legally required but both the author and Especially the publisher(s) know that no one's gonna buy a book without a summary. trust me, all books worth reading have a summary. if a book doesn't have one, it's probably not worth your time anyway. you just gotta know where to look!

so my answer to how i choose books... i read the summary lmao. if it seems interesting, ill either write it down to get later or ill get it there and then.

Before the summary though, i look for any titles that jump out at me from the shelf. then i look at the thickness. i like a bit of meat in my literature, so i tend to shy away from thinner books. thicker ones grab my attention more easily. then i look at the cover - if it interests me, then ill read the summary. i don't have specific tastes in title or cover. as long as it makes my brain "hm" thoughtfully, ill take a gander!

and really, if you have access to a bookstore (chain or not, ive found plenty of bangers in tiny used bookshops) or library, the best way to find a book is to physically browse. even if you dont buy anything, you can take pictures of books / write them down to buy online. but going to the store lets you search them out, examine the length, cover, title, summary - and easily put it back on the shelf or keep it. i hate shopping online bc there's ads, you can't examine the product, nothing really stands out since it's all portrayed similarly, there's limited pictures instead of the physical thing, and photos can lie.

plus, everything is (typically) meticulously sorted by genre & age range. when you go into a section with literature aimed at adults, you'll find exactly that instead of smut novels lmao. real life bookstores can be more accurate than online searches. & there's just something so good about walking through shelves, searching for that one book before you know it exists, smelling the paper... yeah...

#like for example i recently bought priory of the orange tree #ive been wanting it for a while and havent read it yet since im finishing something else #BUT! i remember when i first saw it #nothing had gotten my attention for a while #but then i saw the thickest fucking book ive seen in ages - which was automatically very sexy of it #and then the title was unique - priory of the orange tree??? whoah! what the fuck does that mean!!!#so automatically there was the interest of neat title + a new word that i get to learn + the implications of the word now that i understand #and then i picked the book up and it was deliciously heavy - & there was a Dragon on the cover. which. YES PLEASE #then the summary was fascinating!! the book was immediately seared into my brain! im very excited to read it #so thats a highly successful example of my book choosing Process #it checked all of my boxes so it was a win #most books dont check all of my boxes but as long as it hits most of them im down to clown yk yk #but yeah im picky too so! nothing wrong with being picky or having high standards!#rambles from the bog #my shelves are fuckin Full of books ranging from 'it was ok' to 'I WILL RECOMMEND THIS TO ALL WHO WILL LISTEN'#and then i have a drawer filled with books that i just could not care less about / dont like #but dont have the heart to throw away bc. well putting a book in the trash kills a part of my soul #i need to donate them...#but yes! i hope that helps!#and Thank You! i hope i get a callback as well...

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the-yearning-astronaut · 9 months

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Honest question, I was getting interested in the murderbot diaries from all your posts but why on earth is a paperback with less than 200 pages 20 bucks??? and there are 8! of them as far as i saw

Hello! Just gonna give a heads up to say that this is going to be an unintentionally long post. Oops? (achievement unlocked! You've asked this blogger a question about their current hyperfixation!) There's a tl;dr at the bottom tho if you're not up for reading my rambling response!

So ngl I was also put off by the cost at first -- the audiobooks are also comparatively pricey and the ebook versions are only slightly less expensive. (2 of those 8 you mentioned are actually flash fiction and can be found online! Compulsory is a short prologue to the series and can be found on wired.com while Home is available for $2 on Kindle and is DRM free and takes place after Exit Strategy. Book 8 is called System Collapse and comes out in November.)

But like...after doing a lot of thinking I came to a few conclusions. Authors deserve to make a living, yeah? And they also have little say in how much their books cost -- that's a publisher thing afaik. These books in particular are also only available in hardcover, which have always been more expensive than paperback anyway.

And ultimately you have to decide if you want to support an author and what that support looks like for you. I totally understand the cost is prohibitive for many, especially now. Hell, me too even. But I enjoyed the first audiobook so much that I got the rest of them... and they all filled me with such joy and affection that I HAD to have the physical copies, too.

I personally find them to be 100% worth the money, regardless of their lengths -- heck I'm on my third listen through already and I started them this month lmao. Despite their short length, they tell complete, very vibrant, very human stories. (not sure that's the right word given that Murderbot has problems with being perceived as a person much less a human, but I digress) I've never related as much to a character as I've related to Murderbot -- and I'm being genuine when I say this. I also love how queer, neurodivergent, and anticapitalist the series is and all the dry humor and character growth and just... All of it.

My recommendation would be to find the first book at your local library-- they will most likely have the audio version available on Libby or a similar app service, if not physically. There will likely be a multi week long waiting list. If you enjoy it, find the second one the same way! Then you can decide if $16-$20 a book is worth it.

TL;DR -- imo the Murderbot Diaries series is definitely worth the cost. It's ultimately up to you to decide if you agree with me on that or not, but you can find them for sale as hardcovers, ebooks, and audiobooks -- Target has the first four available as a boxed set for $45 if you don't want to support Amazon, which has them for $40. I highly recommend you find the first one through your local library if you're still on the fence about buying them rn. There will be a long wait but I promise they're worth it!

Hopefully this answers your original question... I just realized it might not fjejdnd

#fox answers #thank you for the ask!!#i love getting them and I love when my flailing about something gets someone else interested in it too #Murderbot #martha wells #Murderbot Diaries #the murderbot diaries #tmd #i really really hope you give them a try and that you love them as much as i do!!#and if you DO give them a try pls come yell at me as you read them!!

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andromedaexists · 11 months

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📑📖💛📗

~Morri (@memento-morri-writes)

hihi Morri!!! I hope you're having a wonderful day!!

📑Hardcover, paperback, ebook, or audiobook? Which format do you prefer?

I am a hard cover bitch, I love a good hard cover book. I will say tho, I recently stole my mom's kindle and I do rather like not getting a black eye when I drop my book while I read at night. I do end up buying a hard cover edition of the books that I love on kindle, though (or paperback like Oliver and Rafael seem to want me to do since they don't have hardcover editions <- me pouting because i desperately want a hard cover edition of Sugar People and Angels Before Man)

📖What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation, and why? / 📖Do you prefer physical books or e-books? Why?

This emoji has two questions on desktop, so imma do both!

My fav book-to-movie adaptation has to be the Princess Bride. I just think that it's a damn good story and an even better movie!

I definitely prefer physical books to e-books. I have Forgetful Bitch Disease, so if the book is not physically in front of me I will likely forget about it. I also have eye issues that make screens hard for me, even more so when there's words on the screen. Every year my prescription gets better at managing that, but I would much rather not give myself a migraine by looking at a screen and attempting to read.

Physical books also serve as good trophies after I tear them apart and mark them up 🥰

💛How do you organize your bookshelves? By genre, author, color, or in a completely unique way?

I organize like a library shelf, so each shelf is it's own genre and then from there they are alphabetically organized. Or, at least, that is the plan once I have time to catalog every book I own and get the plans set up so I can figure out where each book goes, right now it's sort of a free for all

📗If you could have a conversation with any author, living or deceased, who would it be and what would you ask them?

If I could have a convo with one (1) author it would be Homer and I would take him by the shoulders and demand the rest of the Trojan War Cycle

Other than that, I think I would like to speak to Madeline L'Engle. She was a huge part of my childhood with the Wrinkle In Time series and I just, I want to talk to her about what the actual fuck she was on when she wrote it

#thanks for asking!#ask game #andi answers

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knickynoo · 2 years

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I just got like 60+ books unread on my bookshelf, and I'm a DO NOT buy new book till I'm finished all my books person!

Someone abandoned 3 full boxes by a dumpster, Hardcover and softcover! I just couldn't leave them there! I could try to sell/ trade them I guess. Or donate them (but I hear thrift shops toss out most of the books they get though.) But I feel like it was such a gift from God finding them! So I'm trying to give them all a chance for a few chapters at least even though some of them really are not the kind of stuff I am into mostly.

I wish I knew someone irl that read books, we could trade books like pokemon cards lol

Ugh, I would LOVE to find boxes of books just sitting by a dumpster. You are living the book lover's dream. Bummer that a lot of them don't interest you, but hey, free books! Does your town have one of those "little free library" things set up? I know there are a couple by me, and I've taken my unwanted and old books there. Maybe you could drop off the ones you don't want and someone else can enjoy them.

I hope you find some fellow bookworms to trade with at some point, because it's a lot of fun (but it is surprisingly hard to find people who also like to read, which is sad). One of my good friends loves to read as much as I do, and we frequently give each other recommendations. She is much older than I am, though, so it's like a weird little intergenerational book club with just two people lol. But it is super fun to be able to share that interest because I also don't know anyone my own age irl who is into books. :(

Happy reading! And feel free to slip into my ask box to tell me about anything interesting you've found in those boxes or suggest your favorite books/get some recs!

#asks

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readswithreed · 3 years

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I gotta ask this question because it has been kicking my ass for awhile now. Do you prefer to read books on a table or do you prefer to have the book in your hand? I struggle with this because I feel like with buying the book I'm supporting the author and I don't feel that when I read via my tablet. But also, I know I can save on space at my place if I don't turn my apartment into a library. I've held off on buying books for awhile and it's convenient having everything on a tablet but at the same time there's a look of sophistication with having your own personal library displayed for guests to see.

Great question and thank you for asking! 💕

I love books and all of their many forms (ebooks, paperbacks, hardcover, audiobooks, etc) and there are pros and cons for all of them.

While hardcover and paperback books offer that specific comfort that comes with the physical sensations of reading - like holding the weight of a book, feeling the pages, smelling that sweet paper scent - and they are aesthetically pleasing (bookshelves, book stacks, photos of books, people seeing you reading a book), they can also be really inconvenient. They’re expensive, heavy, harder to hold, they take up space, sometimes the print is too small, and are inaccessible to some readers.

I am a huge fan of e-readers and ebooks and frankly, I’m annoyed with the superiority from readers who look down on ebooks. I get it if it’s a preference but ebooks are more accessible and more convient to a wider range of readers than physical books for a lot of different reasons.

They are typically cheaper than physical books - while physical books can range in price from $10-$25, e-books can range anywhere between FREE and $9.

They’re a lot easier to hold because they are lighter and an easier shape to hold. Plus you can add a pop-socket or something to make it more comfortable for each reader’s needs.

They travel a lot easier than books. Not only can you have multiple books stored on one e-reader as opposed to lugging around multiple books but you can usually sync between devices (kindle, iPhone, tablet, etc) so that you can pick up where you left off even if you left your e-reader at home.

They are instant! While you can be waiting on a book in the mail or taking the time to go to bookstore, the only time you’re waiting on an ebook is when you did a pre-order or if you’re on a waitlist with your library. Keep in mind, not all readers have easy access to physically go to a bookstore when they’re in need of a new book.

E-books are just easier to read. You can adjust the size, font, spacing, and alignment of the text to fit your needs. You can update the page color to make it easier on your eyes. YOU CAN READ THEM IN THE DARK WITHOUT A LIGHT!!!

E-readers typically have a built in dictionary or allow you to run a web search if you don't know a word so all you have to do is click on it. And same thing with translating foreign language. I’ve read a few books with latin, Spanish, French, or Italian passages that I wanted to know what they meant but the author didn’t translate it for me (and I really need to brush up on my foreign language skills). All I had to do was highlight the text and a translation popped up. This is really helpful to readers who maybe didn’t have the same access to education that other readers have had.

They allow a greater access to variety and diversity in books that readers in, say for instance, a rural or conservative area might not have the same access to at their local bookstore or library.

They’re discreet. Maybe you don’t want everyone around you to know you’re reading blue alien smut (there’s no shame but it’s also okay if you don't want people to know). Or maybe queer teens want to read queer books without their unaccepting family to know about it.

I also did a little bit of research in terms of the author making money on physical books vs e-books and I’m not really finding much data to say they make more money one way or another. Physical books cost more to print and bind and sell which is why they cost more to purchase. That doesn’t mean the author is getting more money in their pocket. And if you sell ebooks at a lower cost, that means more people are more likely to buy, meaning more money in the authors pocket.

Now you could make the argument that physical books are better for the economy because then you’re paying for the labor of printing the books and then selling the books. Which I would agree with but that’s also any technological advancement.

While I can’t display my beautiful collection of ebooks in my home for all my guests to see, I can buy or borrow the cheaper ebook to see if I like it and if I’d want to read it more than once. If so, then I buy the physical copy and add it to my physical collection.

I hope that answers your question and helps you figure out your own preference. And if your own preference is physical books, that’s absolutely fine! Just remember that ebooks are a completely valid and justified form of reading, especially because of the convince and accessibility it offers to all kinds of readers.

Happy reading! 📚💖

#ask #anon #anon asks #physical books #ebooks #physical books vs ebooks #booklr

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crazy-walls · 3 years

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would it be too much if I would ask you to answer all of them?

...well, this certainly is a distraction, thank you!! I'll answer the ones that I haven't yet here c:

1 What book are you currently reading? I'm currently not reading anything in my free time since I don't have time between writing fic and doing inktober (yeah, still on that, just haven't posted in days...), at work I'm currently reading a book on crises, protests and how dialogues can affect those

4 What’s the next book you’re hoping to read? Either The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen or What Will Burn by James Oswald, both thrillers and by my 2 favourite authors

5 Is there a book you own, but aren’t planning on reading? I have a few old (think 70-100 years) books that I got from my grandma, some children's tales I think but I'm a bit scared reading them might ruin them cause they're partly not in great condition (also not particularly interested in them tbh)

6 What was your favourite series as a kid? Would you still read it now? So many, going by age (7-11ish and in chronological order) cause I can't decide: first series I got obsessed with was Hexe Lilli, then Kwiatkowski, then The Famous Five, after that Zeitdetektive. Definitely a pattern in those, all involved case-solving :D

7 What’s your favourite series now? James Oswald's Inspector McLean series, I adore it. Still have a very soft spot for die drei ??? though

8 Fantasy or sci-fi? Neither tbh, unless you count time-travelling kids as fantasy when the focus is more on history

9 What’s a book you want to buy? The next James Oswald from his newest series (Constance Fairchild), I think it'll come out in November

10 Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Absolutely. When I'm in the UK I always check the bookstores that sell them dirt cheap and I mostly go by cover and the text on the cover in hopes of finding good new authors

11 Have you ever bought a book because of who the author was? A few, yeah, some have been great, others merely decent

13 Are you a fan of autobiographies? Again, no, in my free time I pretty much only read fiction

15 Favourite fiction genre? Crime and thriller. All the way. I've always loved crime books and I think the first thrillers I really got into at around 14 were actually by Tess Gerritsen. Never had as much love for any other genre

16 Favourite non-fiction genre? I really don't have one (unless you count "scientific publication that's well-done and has authors that are easy to work with"...)

17 Historical fiction: yea or nay? Ehhh... if it's Zeitdetektive, then hell yeah! Other than that... I'm usually very sceptical, especially when it comes to historical fiction set in the middle ages (which a lot seem to be) because the inaccuracy. Can nobody research anything anymore?? Anyway, yeah, the 6-year-medieval-lit-studies and medieval-lit-master in me definitely has a problem with that

19 Paperback or hardcover? Paperback, even though non-German ones tend to be pretty crappy because the paper quality is just not great, but they're cheaper and I tend to prefer the format

20 Do you read e-books? Yep, but I've never bought one - I only borrow them from my library and those are the only ones I read because I haven't been to the library where I live yet

21 How many bookshelves do you have? Technically 4 but one is not mounted to the wall yet (it's a small haning one) and some books are still at my parents' so they're not full yet

23 Do you prefer borrowing books from friends, borrowing books from a library, or buying them? Library! Unfortunately, since I started reading mostly in English that's not a good option anymore so I also love buying books second-hand

26 What’s your favourite book? I probably still have to go with The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen. It just holds a special place in my heart

27 What books can always make you cry? Again The Bone Garden but also Nijura by Jenny-Mai Nuyen, that book makes me feel all kinds of things but I haven't read it in like 10 years (but man do I cry easily at books and also fic and like, everything really)

28 What books can always make you smile? Uhhh... the drei ??? graphic novels definitely do the job :D

29 What’s the biggest book you’ve ever read, and how many pages did it have? Oh boy, I have NO idea. I used to read quite a few thick books but the only one I can definitely remember is Memoirs of a Geisha, the copy my library has has about 572 pages according to their website

30 What character do you connect with the most? So many over the years really but I think the one I've related to the most is Bob Andrews because we're quite alike. I also really connect with McLean's tired-of-everything-and-everyone-and-especially-your-bullshit-but-overall-just-tired-energy. I just feel that.

#big thanks!!! 🥰 definitely kept me distracted for over half an hour ^^#and i just really needed something else to think about

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thebookbud · 4 years

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Shelf History Tag

This tag is for those books that came to you in an unusual, interesting, funny, or sweet way. Pick 5 (or more if you want) books from your shelf and tell us the story of how you came to own that book. If you’re a public library user and don’t really own any books, you can still participate. Just tell us the most interesting/funny/sweet ways you came to find a particular library book.

Tag your posts #ShelfHistory so I can see them all!

When you’re finished, tag 5 (or more) readers whose Shelf-History you’d like to know about! This one can easily be done on any blogging/vlogging platform so feel free to tag cross-platform if you really want to.

Thanks for the tag @anassarhenisch this is so so sweet!

1. The Demonata Series by Darren Shan

I got these as a gift from @a-hunch-with-scaffolding. One night after book club I went back to my room and found that he had hidden them next to my book stacks so I couldn’t make him take them back before he left (I’m not good at receiving gifts). He wanted me to read them and went and got them...for me. (Minus the first, I'd already read it on Kindle) It was one of the sweetest ways I have ever received a book, let alone a whole series.

2. The Perfect Tribute by Mary Andrews

My dad is a huge American civil war history buff and he gifted this to me when I was around ten years old. A very endearing look at Lincoln. It’s an original copy and I hold it extremely dear for sentimental reasons and the fact that it’s an antique now.

3. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

So this is more of just a story that makes me laugh. I went to Barnes & Noble to find this and was ready to buy the trade paperback (because I didn’t want to spend $35 on hardback when I don’t even have the first two yet) and while browsing the bargain bin just for fun on the way to checkout, I found this hardcover copy tucked in the back for $8...that’s right 8 freaking dollars! I mean it’s beat up and worn, but a book this large is going to be worn immediately anyways from its own weight and I really don't mind a well loved book.

4. Ghost Lake by John Peel

I’ve posted about this book quite a few times, so you may know this is one of my first memorable novels. I loved it so much I must have read it at least four times when I was a kid and I couldn’t find it whenever I went to Borders (yes Borders was still a place then) and well, I “borrowed” this copy from my elementary school classroom and still haven’t brought it back, almost two decades later...whoops.

5. A Divided Mind by M. Billiter

I’ve bought autographed copies of books before, even been to a signing or two. But never before did I reach out to an author directly to request a signing. Well, after reading this through BookSirens I decided I’d ask M. Billiter if she’d be so kind as to sign a copy if I ordered it and sent to her. Not only did she sign it, she was thrilled with the compliment, sent goodies with it and when the second in the series came out, sent me an ARC of that also to review, which can be found here (I highly recommend these novels). Honestly, one of the sweetest interactions I’ve ever had!

Hey, @readingismywholelife @hayleysbookshelf @redheaded-reader @the-girl-who-lived-to-read @books-are-perfection wanna share a bit about your books’ backstories, maybe? (I took pictures with mine but it’s unnecessary if you don’t want to, just fyi) Looking forward to seeing some stories! Hope you all enjoy and anyone else who wants to join in, please do so!

#ShelfHistory #Books #Reading #Stories #Personal #Booklr #Bookish

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honeybeesintheimpala · 4 years

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Title: An Angel's Lullaby

Pairing: DeanCas, Destiel

Rating: Explicit

Words: 93,662

Status: Complete

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7984306/chapters/18268822

Chapter One - The Man with the Ocean Eyes

"Excuse me," a gravelly voice suddenly fills the room and Dean's pen nearly goes flying, heart pumping. It's been at least two days since anyone's even walked through those doors and being alone with his thoughts isn't exactly a new thing but for that long, it gets to be a surprise when someone says something. He keeps it under control though, doesn't look up except a quick glance at a nice pair of khakis and a deep purple jumper.

He goes back to scribbling on the piece of paper where he's supposed to be filling out a request for another truck to come and take away a few boxes of older books, bring them to a charity or a foster house somewhere.

"What can I help you with," he says, surprised that his own voice is bored considering his heart is pounding out a Jamaican beat and he's pretty sure he almost pissed his pants.

"I was just wondering if there are any books that you might recommend? I'm in the mood for reading, but not really sure what to look for," the man speaks at a low volume, as if there's anyone here to be disturbed.

Dean's intrigue is piqued though, so he pauses his doodles, knits his eyebrows together and looks up.

His eyes trace up the outline of his jumper, which wraps nicely around a narrow waist and a great chest, then leads into a white collared shirt, tan neck, a scruffy jaw that can't decide between chiseled and soft, some full lips that look like they might be chapped bit also look incredibly kissable, a straight-edge nose, and finally, two unfathomable blue eyes, shining bright as the Caribbean ocean that Dean is entirely too sure they are made of. His hair is a messy looking, bed-head-esque mop of dark chocolate brown and he smiles down at Dean as if he isn't the most attractive person Dean's ever encountered.

He's actually blown away by the fact that this man is inside a nearly failing library right now instead of out modeling a white pinstripe suit and blue tie from Men's Warehouse somewhere.

This time, Dean thinks he may actually piss his pants, but he refrains from any sort of urination onto cloth, as a mind-blowingly handsome man with some captivating blue eyes that seem to have stolen the sea is standing in front of his desk, asking about books.

He also refrains from exhibiting all of these passing thoughts on his face, because it feels like it's been a few minutes since he asked the question and the guy's probably starting to think Dean's some weirdo who can't speak under pressure.

"Library's a dying business, sir," he sits back in his chair and sets the pen down slowly. "Yeah, all the kids got their...electronic readers and...there are bookstores that sell books. Never out of stock of a specific book. Sometimes we get that; not having a specific book because all the copies got checked out...or we used to have that..."

The man stares down at him with such focus and intent, nodding along and knitting his brows together. Who is this guy?

"Nah, I mean, it's amazing that...someone wants a book so badly and loves it so much that they gotta buy it and have it forever," Dean continues, then leans forward again, grabbing a book to his left and wiggling it in the air. "Not so awesome for the library."

"That's so...intriguing...that you respect those other industries so much..." He replies, squinting, head tilting in a puppy dog manner.

Dean chuckles, setting the book down. Stares at the black cover as his smile slowly fades.

"Not much else I can do," he shrugs, shuffling through several books to find the one with the light yellow-beige cover, red outline and text reading Oliver Twist glaring up at him, and a small, square, painted picture of a boy in a hat playing at the edge of a wood sitting just above the title. "Once these places shut down, I'll inevitably drift into a bookstore, sign up to be a clerk or a stocker. 'Cause I mean," he flips the book over and opens the back page. Pulls out the name card from the pocket glued to the inside of the cover and examines it. "Yeah, a book ain't been checked out from here in three months."

He laughs and throws the book to his right, watches it skid across the table and come to a stop beside the red canvas hardcover with shiny blue letters indenting the words Of Mice and Men.

"Wow...so...I mean, how do you guys stay in business?" The guy is leaning ever forward, hands gripping the edge of the desk and arms stick straight as he balances himself over the books.

Dean smirks up at him.

"Ah," he scrubs at the back of his neck, cheeks hot, and looks away into the corner of the main entrance. "Well, charities? Mostly...and, uh, you know, school fundraisers, donations from the coffee shop down the street." He squints up at the giant skylight making up about ninety percent of the roof, thinking. "Oh, uh...this one guy. Some sorta bookwrite. Author of...damn, what are those things called...gaaahh...oh! An Angel's Lullaby!" Recognition passes over the man's face in clear abundance. "Guy's name, I'm still drawin' a blank on--"

"Chuck Shurley," the guy cuts him off but Dean is impressed. It's such an obscure book but he obviously knows it well.

"Yeah!" He points at the guy. "Yeah, yeah. You know him? I mean, his work?"

"Yeah...too well...why?"

"Ah, no...I'm just...just surprised, you know? Not a real popular selection," Dean thinks for a moment and it falls silent once more. Then: "You met him? He did a book signing here once. Not many people came, but..."

"Oh, yeah I've met him..." He doesn't elaborate, but Dean suspects it's because he just explained it for the guy, and it seems like it's making him a little uncomfortable anyway.

"Uh," he looks for something that might change the subject. "Well, to answer your first question..." He opens his mouth to continue but ends up chuckling and shaking his head. "Look, man, there's just too many books and not enough time. I've been coming to this library my entire life, probably read every single book by now. I mean, I can point you to some of my favourites, I guess, but really the only one off the top of my head and without me getting up is An Angel's Lullaby."

"Are you religious?" He asks suddenly and Dean's bewildered by the inquiry until he realises how obsessed he must seem with the book.

"Oh..." He breathes out a laugh. "Nah, that's...I'm an atheist, actually. I'm just...really into angels. Religions and...gods and deities are my thing. To be honest, I could probably list thirty Christian angels off the top of my head."

"Really," he seems impressed and Dean blushes harder. "How about...the three main archangels and...the Angel of Thursday."

Specific...and strange. But okay, he'll play along. For the sake of flirting.

"Okay...well there's Michael, the eldest son of God who was set to the task of casting Lucifer, second oldest, into hell because he claimed he could not love humanity as he loved his father. Gabriel, protector of humanity, present at the birth of Jesus Christ and the deliverer of the Holy news. And then...actually, my favourite, if I'm honest-" he looks up and watches the man's lips part, a blush crawling up his neck too, and he briefly wonders why, "-Castiel. Angel of Thursday, keeper of prayers said on that day." He smirks for a second before adding, "Always heard he was a real looker."

The man seems flustered, tugging at his jumper, pulling the v-neck away from his chest and adjusting his collar.

"Me too," he chokes out and Dean thinks it's entirely unfair how cute this man looks with a scarlet flush painting his cheeks and his hands not able to find a resting placing.

"I..." Dean starts, gazing down at his hand fiddling with the edge of a hardcover, nail scraping against the canvas. "I think I remember a few more books. Not real sure what you would like, but, uh..." He tears a corner off of the paper he was drawing on and scribbles down the titles and respective authors, then continues as he hands the list to the man. "Most of 'em are...classics...Little Women, Gone With the Wind, A Wrinkle in Time, Wuthering Heights...the original and best...version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

The man smiles down at the list and then down at Dean, and Dean's heart leaps into his throat.

"Thank you," he says quietly and Dean's eyes flit down, small smile of modest pride lifting his lips.

"Don't mention it," he whispers back, gaze meeting the man's once more. Then he leans forward and takes up the pen again, waggling it between two fingers. He leans on his bent arm and says, "So, you plannin' on checkin' anything out today, sir?"

And, without blinking or missing a beat, the man replies with the most unexpected answer, letting the words drip from his lips like fuckin' honey when he replies, "Just you."

Dean is astonished at this guy's guts, but a brazen vocabulary and a cocky attitude is exactly the kind of thing that gets him going.

He opens his mouth in a shocked kind of smile, and shakes his head as if he's offended at the nerve of those words.

"I...don't even know your name," Dean says slowly, eyes twitching from the man's leg to his chest to his mouth to his eyes. When they meet, the man tilts his head with another squint, this one more challenging than curious. Amazing how he can squint in the same manner with just the slightest differences and change the entire composure of the movement.

But Dean doesn't let himself get too distracted by this ability, and soon encounters a moment of realisation.

The blushing, fidgeting, stumbling words when he talked about Castiel...

"Your name is Castiel," he whispers, astounded. "And you have three brothers." Then more realisation. "And you haven't met Chuck Shurley, you used to live with him."

Castiel pushes his lips out and looks down, scratches through the stubble on the edge of his jaw, nods.

"And I assume," Castiel says, squinting at the wooden triangle at the corner of Dean's desk and smiling, then continuing, "your name is Dean Winchester and you work as a librarian."

"Hey, I am not...a librarian," he protests playfully, grin growing on his teeth. "I am...a book obsessed...checker...outer."

Castiel laughs and Dean gives him a look for a moment before bursting out into his own fit of laughter at how utterly ridiculous that title sounds.

"I'm guessing that sounded better in your head?"

"It did," Dean nods and chucks the pen at one of the books, sitting back in his chair again and kicking his legs up onto his desk. He cranes his neck and reaches behind him, grips the back of another rolling chair, and rolls it over so it's facing him. Pats the seat and jerks his head. "Come on around." Castiel looks uncertain, sliding the torn paper into his pocket and pursing his lips, slight squint of his eyes. Dean chuckles. "Come on. I don't bite."

"Isn't that against the rules or something?" Castiel asks as he makes his way around the right side of the desk and through the opening in the side, in spite of his words.

"'Eah, mostly," Dean shrugs and pushes his lips out, then smiles. "But no one else is around, don't have any cameras, and-" he holds out a hand, "-I'm a rebel."

Castiel laughs wholeheartedly at this, grin huge and gummy - the most enchanting thing Dean's ever seen - and his head tilted back, crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Dean notices a slight dimple in his left cheek and stores that information in the back of his mind for later, when he's having a rough day.

"What," he says, though he knows Castiel is laughing at his insanely stupid joking around.

"Nothing, you're just...really...interesting--"

"Interesting meaning...lame?" He squints and adds, "Dumbass, weirdo, bad amusement--"

"Hey, I genuinely laughed at that," Castiel points a finger at him, not hiding his grin.

Dean shakes his head, looks away, licks his lips. Things settle for a moment.

Dean plays with the hem of his black t-shirt, scratches his nails over the faded denim of his jeans, examines the familiar dark splotch of oil on the knee. He would dress nicer for work, but the last time anyone even walked through the doors was 48 hours ago, and he wasn't expecting any company today, either.

"Can't believe I'm flirting with the son of my favourite author," he mutters, reaching back over the back of his chair to snatch up another pen.

Castiel scoffs playfully, and Dean catches the smirk on his face when he turns back around.

"You call that flirting," Castiel quips, unbuttoning the wrists if his collared shirt and rolling the sleeves of both the shirt and jumper up.

Dean lets his brows drop and pushes his lips out in confusion. "Well...yeah..." Dean watches Castiel stifle a smile and glance down and away. "Why, what do you call it."

Castiel peeks up through mischievous, dark lashes and swimming eyes, lips parting in a secretive smirk.

"Honestly?" He starts, shifting in his seat and sitting back, settling his hands together in his lap. "A sad but sweet attempt to impress me."

"Oh, is that so?"

Castiel nods, grin growing across his cheeks.

"And what would you consider flirting, mr. big-shot-I-know-exactly-how-to-woo-the-ladies?"

"Well, first of all," Castiel leans forward, rests an elbow against his knee, uses the armrest to balance himself, and points at Dean with raised brows, as if he's about to teach a lesson. "Sir. There's a difference between being laid back and being downright cocky. And you-" the corner of his lips twitches up very briefly, and his cyan blue eyes turn dark "-are neither."

"So what, exactly," Dean whispers, fingers a bit too loosely woven around the pen, teeth digging into his lip. "Do you propose I do about it?"

Castiel's gummy smile is printed into his teeth again and he shrugs a shoulder, bringing his lips down in an impressed bow.

"Well, that's the first step. Ask what you are instead of asking what to change. When you know, even if it's not true, even if it's only what another person sees, you can accept it."

Dean squints, leaning further back into his chair, pressing his index finger into the ballpoint, black ink tip of the pen and the other to the textured top of the cap wrapped around the end, pushing his tongue into his cheek and pursing his lips.

"Alright, fine. What am I?" Dean imposes, then grips the tip of the pen between his thumb and finger and adds, "To you. Smartass."

This earns him a short chuckle and an approving nod.

"Well...I think...you're reserved. You act like you're king shit and like you know exactly who you are, like you don't give two flying fucks about where you're headed in life, or maybe like you've already accepted it. You act comfortable with yourself, but what nerd is ever actually satisfied with their existence?" He's leaning ever-forward and Dean's cocksure smile is ever-fading, eyes becoming wide with marvel as the man-who-knows-too-much continues. "I think you're unsure. You're scared and you...you hide things that you think no one cares about. You're upset and self-deprecating. Eyes of a guilty conscience."

Dean drops his gaze, first to the floor, then to the pen, still grasped tightly by his fingers which have fallen into his lap and which fiddle vapidly with the object, nail scraping at the black polycarbonate and over the white indents that spell out the company name.

"But," Castiel starts up again, voice soft and lilting. Dean swallows hard. "I think you have a lot to give. I think you have...maybe too much to give. Too much forgiveness, too much love, too much doubt, too much strength and care. I think you are the embodiment of generosity, but you don't take what you really need in return. And I think that can get dangerous, but I also think that nothing is ever really too much." Dean's eyes flit back up in time to catch Castiel's angling downward, past Dean's chair, through the desk, through the floor, staring wistfully at something intangible. "People are greedy. And you're too willing to give."

Dean searches the man's face for any sign that this is all some sort of joke, that he's being filmed or some shit, but all he finds is truth and wisdom and knowledge, and possibly a glimmer, just a glimpse in those blue eyes, of a bittersweet past, an origin for where these words came from.

"I was right!" He exclaims as he sits back in the chair, shoulders trembling with a silent laugh. "You like to cover up your pain with gay jokes and stupid references."

"Now, that, I can't deny," Dean nods and everything falls silent. He rocks his chair gently, side to side, left to right, fingers still fidgeting with the tips of the pen, his head tilted in thought. Castiel's mouth is pulled up into a ginger smile, his eyes faraway and swimming in themselves, in the past, in glistening memories and soft-edged, slow-motion, sunny-fielded dreams. "What about you?" He asks suddenly, voice crackling and ripping through the still air as a quiet question. Castiel eyes don't move but his smile grows slightly. "I mean...what do you think of yourself."

"Not much," he replies, head lolling to the side and back, eyes catching on the impotent, pathetic little piles of books scattered about Dean's desk. "I like books. Reading. Writing. Time-consuming, arbitrary activities which include my eyes scanning words on a piece of pressed wood?" He furrows his brows and Dean throws his head back in a genuine, full laughter that he hasn't experienced in a long time.

"I can tell you write. What do you write about? Like, schmoopy romance novels? Sci-fi thrillers? Action adventure futurism?"

"And I can tell you do a lot of librarian...ing..." Castiel squints and presses his lips together in the contrite afterthought but continues, nevertheless. "I write what my dad would call 'a bunch of gay shit'." Dean cocks a brow. "Get your head out of the gutter, it's not as sexy as it sounds. For the most part. Bottom line, I'm gay, I hang out with gay people, and I wanted to dedicate my life to writing about it, about that experience. But my dad has never approved much."

"You don't say."

"Yeah...he's...more into theology. I think the one book he's ever written that really ventures into the realm of fiction, or at least dips it's toes past the line, is An Angel's Lullaby."

"Which parts are real?" Dean scratches the pen across the bumpy plastic chair arm and watches the black ink run in splotches over the grey of the polyvinyl.

"Our names, obviously," Castiel shifts again, bringing his leg down from across his knee and kicking off from the floor so he spins in a circle. Dean watches with a strangely adoring smile. "It's funny that that's the part most people think is fiction. But, no. Mom was a Jesus nut and Dad is too passive to care, so we ended up with angelic names and weird looks from sane people. The only parts that aren't completely true are the things like our address, the colours they painted our rooms, some of the dialogue that he added or got rid of in order to make the conversations more interesting or sensible - you know, just these really inane things..."

He trails off and he's staring at Dean with expectant brows, and Dean realises he's staring too, realises Castiel probably stopped because it's weird how attentive he is.

"Sorry. You're fun to listen to."

Castiel's cheeks paint themselves a thick fuchsia and his eyes drop to his empty palms resting uselessly in his lap, the lines becoming suddenly very interesting. Then they catch on his watch and widen and his head whips up.

"Well, if I'm so interesting to listen to," he leans forward, snatches the pen from Dean's hand, then takes the other hand and begins a careful scrawl across the back of it as he continues, "why don't you call me. And we can figure out a time to meet at the-" he recaps the pen and gently replaces it in Dean's hand "-coffee place down the street. But, right now, I have to go. College...and shit. Studying for a major in English takes a lot of time away from socialising."

"Sorry to keep you, I didn't--"

"No no no! It was..." His blush deepens and he stands, head down. "It was incredible to meet you. I really hope I can see you again."

"O-Of course," Dean's voice comes out stammered and soft, crackling with hope and fear and adoration, and Castiel smiles broadly.

"Great," he whispers back, then he's rushing around the side of the desk and out the front door and Dean is left to wonder if the entire exchange was even real or if his lonely, empty mind is just playing games.

When he looks at the neat, black little numbers on his hand, he realises just how real right now is.

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